Occupation: Software Developer
Location: Oxford, United Kingdom
Net Worth: £55,000
Background
My Introduction Post
Between 2004-2009 I was a passionate programmer. I'm entirely self-taught and I was the type of developer that loved participating in conferences and user-groups just for the fun of it. I was also obese (440lb+). In 2009 I got my shit together. It took me about 2 years, but I lost 200lb+ and reclaimed my life. Since 2011 I've worked and average of 8 months each year, spending the rest of the time travelling/living elsewhere in the world (mostly New Zealand, Canada, US, and Europe). As a part of questioning my life and what I want to do with "the new me", I've fallen out of love with software development. The old me was the passionate geek for whom internet culture and programmer were my main interests (probably due to my circumstances); the new me isn't that guy. The new me loves to run, hike, snowboard and travel. I'm about to complete an undergraduate degree in psychology and am enrolled into a master's programme starting in September. This is in part a strategy to move away from my IT job, but it's also something that I get a fair amount of pleasure from exploring.
At this point in my career I earn decent money. However there is a part of me that would love to cut-and-run right now and go full-Walden somewhere. If it wasn't for the master's degree then I think I would. My study will root me in the UK for the next 2 years at least, so I've found myself a "proper job", rather than being a contractor, and I'm going to milk the IT career for as long as I can stand it. In my current plan I'm working this job for at least the next 3 years. It's a nice feeling to accept this constant given all the change in my life, despite me not loving the work any more. After 3-4 years I hope to have enough of a war-chest that I become semi-FIRE. That's the point that hopefully I'll transition into my "new fun new career" where I'll be in a strong position to focus on the things that make me happy, rather than things that earn me money.
June 2015
I've just moved to Oxford. I've lived here before so know the areas a little bit and the biggest "insider knowledge" I have is the situation with the traffic. It's horrendous! The rent/house prices here are some of the highest in the country and that means most people who work in Oxford choose to live elsewhere and commute in... which leads to the traffic problem. I have a low tolerance for commuting so decided to live as close to work as possible. Fate smiled on me and I found a beautiful 1-bedroom flat on the market for £950/month; it's 1.3 miles from work, I have views of the river, a country pub next door and already absolutely love living here. (The cheapest flat 1-bed I can find online now is £700/month, rising quickly to £800. So my place isn't the cheapest but I'm getting incredible "lifestyle value" for my money).
It's an unfurnished space and I moved in with no furniture except for one small bench seat. Since then I've bought a small table and that's it. I didn't plan it this way, but I'm currently living as minimally as I ever have. I sleep on the floor, on a makeshift "mattress" consisting of carpet offcuts, a camping mat, a yoga mat and a blanket. I made the mistake of telling my poor mother about this situation and she's very concerned!
It's been two weeks and I sleep remarkably well. Having no other furniture is causing problems mostly because I don't have any storage. The flat is very "messy" at the moment with clothes and half-unpacked boxes all over the place. It doesn't feel very minimal given the crap that's everywhere. My goal for this month is to purchase a bed and tidy up my place. I need some storage and I need a bed... so I've decided to purchase a storage bed. I'm going high-end and this will cost me a chunk of money. My flat is fairly small and space is at a premium so the storage aspect is a huge selling point for me. If I'm going for this type of storage mechanism then I don't want something shoddy, so I'm happy to spend money on it. Not exactly ERE, but hopefully a BIFL purchase. For me it also provides value because it aligns with my minimalist aesthetic; I'll be able to store pretty much everything I own underneath this bed (snowboard gear, hiking gear, books, clothes).
June is also my re-entry into the workplace after a 7-month break (and I can't wait for my first pay day!) The only other goal I have for June is to get my diet sorted out. When I lost the weight I was happy eating the same "boring foods" every day and I want to get back to that. Food can be a great experience and more than just nutrition, but I want to KISS and save the fancy food for special occasions, like the weekend. Oh I lied, another goal I have for June is to continue running every-other day. At least a couple of runs during the week and then a long run at the weekend. That's been my routine for the last 3 weeks since moving here and I want to keep it going.
I'm giving myself a bit of a pass with the financial aspect of June. I have some short-term debt to clear and some setup costs to take care of, like buying the bed, which will be resolved once the first paycheck comes in. I'm interested in standardising my food budget and seeing how much my first month's electricity bill is, but otherwise I'll start my focus on finances in July.
looking to semi retire in next few years. Do you have a net worth in mind before you do ?